Body

“Freedom is not given to us by anyone we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice...no one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out. ”-Thich Nhat Hanh

“Most people see what is, and never see what can be.”-Albert Einstein

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”-Viktor E. Frankl

“The mind is everything; what you think you become.”-Buddha

“Be proud of how far you have come, and have faith in how far you can go.”-Richard Springs

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift, that's why they call it present...”-Source Unknown

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”-Thich Nhat Hanh

“The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them.”-Michel De Montaigne

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”-Viktor E. Frankl

“Within you lies a power greater than what lies before you.”-Rhonda Blake

Gym Strength Training Practice

Explore the variey to reach your goals...

Gyms are not for everyone for a variety of reasons but they do
offer a large range of activities allowing users to mix things up
and keep their workouts fresh. Whether your goal is to lose weight,
gain muscle or stay healthy, joining a gym could be an important
step in reaching it. The strength training area may be the most
confusing in the entire gym, full of odd looking contraptions with
handles and straps and cables. But, the good thing is that most
gyms organize their strength training equipment to help you
navigate a little easier. For example, you might find machines
categorized by muscle group; e.g., chest machines in one row, back
machines in another.

What to Consider:

1. Find out what your gym has
available

Attend gym orientation or meet with fitness facility
coordinator/trainer and take a tour

Attend gym orientation or meet with fitness facility
coordinator/trainer and take a tour to familiarize yourself with
the club and all it has to offer. Find out where things are, how to
adjust the machines and just get familiar with the gym. Also your
coordinator will give you someone you can go to for help if you
need it.

Training Machines

You'll probably notice that there are a variety of machines for
each muscle group - a regular chest press machine, an incline chest
press, a pec deck. All work the chest, but how would you pick which
one to use? Or should you use all of them? Your best bet is to
choose one exercise or machine per muscle group. When you go
through your orientation, the trainer will most likely show you the
machines you can start with for a basic workout. But, an example of
a beginner workout on machines might be:

Chest Press (chest)

Lat Pulldown (back)

Shoulder Press (shoulders)

Bicep Curl (biceps)

Tricep Press (triceps)

Leg Press (quads, glutes and hamstrings)

Leg Extension (quads)

Leg Curl (hamstrings)

Calf Raise (calves)

Back Extension (lower back)

Ab Curl (abs)

If you're a beginner, starting out with machines can be a good
choice because they provide support while you learn how to perform
the exercises with good form. They also work on a fixed path and
don't require as much coordination as free weights. Once you get
stronger and more confident, you'll want to add more free weights
to the mix to work on other areas of the body.

Free Weights

If the strength training machines look confusing, giant racks of
dumbbells, barbells, plates and more may look even more daunting.
The free weight section will usually be close to the machines and
you may find a variety of interesting equipment here such as:

Dumbbells

Plate loaded barbells

Fixed-weight barbells

Flat and incline benches

Olympic-sized bars

Weight racks

Bench press stations

When starting out it is best to use cable or free-motion
machines in the free weight section of the gym, simply because
cables don't work on a fixed path, like the machines mentioned
above, and are more like free weight exercises since you have to
use your own body for balance and support.

If you're not familiar with dumbbell or free weight exercises,
you may think this area is for bodybuilders only. But free weights
are great for everyone and you'll probably find a variety of
exercisers there -- men, women, young, old, bodybuilders or just
regular exercisers. One reason beginners don't always start with
free weights is because, unlike machines, there aren't always
instructions available for how to use them. If you're not sure what
to do, you might want to hire a trainer or look at the
total body toning
practice.

2. Define any specific goals you may
have for toning

Define any specific goals you may have for toning, such as upper
arms, abs, etc. That way you can add in more exercises that focus
on those areas. Like your cardio, set up your strength workout to
meet your goals and focus on that during the workout. For example,
if you're working on fitness and weight loss, you may want to start
with a total body routine 2-3 days a week with a couple of
exercises per muscle group. If you're trying to build muscle, you
may choose a split routine to give each muscle the attention it
needs.

3. Determine your workout
parameters

Sets - A set is a group of successive
repetitions performed without resting. A repetition (rep) is the
number of times you repeat the move in each set. Therefore, if your
instructions were to do 3 sets of 12 (3 x 12) biceps curls, you
would curl the weight 12 times in a row to complete the first set.
Then you'd put the weight down, rest a moment and do 12 more in a
row to complete the second set, and so on until you've finished the
prescribed number of sets for that exercise.

Speed - A reasonable training pace is 1-2
seconds for the lifting (concentric) portion of the exercise and
3-4 seconds for the lowering (eccentric) portion of the move. Fast,
jerky movements should be avoided. They place undue stress on the
muscle and connective tissue at the beginning of the movement,
substantially increasing the likelihood of an injury. Fast lifting
also cheats you out of some of the strength benefits. When lifting
at a fast pace, momentum (not the muscle) is doing a good deal of
the work.

Repetitions - The number of repetitions chosen
for each exercise depends on the amount of resistance (weight)
you're using. A safe and productive training recommendation would
be 8-12 repetitions using 70% to 80% of maximum
resistance.

Maximum resistance is the most weight you can lift one time
with proper form.

In general, most people can complete:

6 repetitions with 85% of their maximum resistance (training
beyond this increases injury)

8 repetitions with 80% of maximum resistance

10 repetitions with 75% of maximum resistance

12 repetitions with 70% of maximum resistance

14 repetitions with 65% of maximum resistance (training with
less than this decreases strength gains)

How many reps and sets you do will depend on your
goals:

For building muscle = it's usually 3 or more sets of 6-10
reps

For muscle toning and defining = 2 or more sets of 8-12
reps

For strength and endurance = 2 or more sets of 12-16 reps

Weight - the amount of weight a person
considers light will vary. Essentially you will want to determine
the scale for yourself but can use the following guidelines to
assist you:

Light - usually between 5-8 pounds; amount that you can lift
with relative ease and complete many sets of an exercise.

Medium - around 10 pounds

Heavy - 15+ pounds; amount that is difficult to lift and you
can only complete about 8-10 repetitions with good form

If a weight is so heavy that you have to jerk, bounce or swing
to get it to the top of the movement, it's too heavy.

As your muscles adapt to a given exercise, you will need to
gradually increase the resistance or the repetitions to promote
further gains. This is known as progressive resistance. You should
start out with a weight that allows you to do at least 8
repetitions of a particular exercise. Once you can complete 12
repetitions with that weight (or the number required for your
particular strength program), you increase the weight by about 5
percent. Now, you're doing 8 repetitions with the slightly heavier
weight. Once you've worked up to 12 repetitions with the heavier
weight, you increase it by another 5 percent (or no more than 10%)
and go back to doing 8 repetitions. The idea is to keep alternately
increasing repetitions and resistance, so that you continue to see
results.

4. Determine your program
schedule

Frequency andDuration - When
it comes to strength training, the general rule is to work all your
muscle groups at least twice a week for basic strength and health
gains. But, beyond that, how you set up your program will depend on
your goals and fitness level

Determine how many times per week you will perform your gym
practice

Determine what areas of the body you will work: upper body,
lower body, abdominals

Determine how long each training session will be

Strength training sessions should be scheduled no more
frequently than every other day, because the muscle recovery
process takes at least 48 hours. Increases in muscle size and
strength don't occur while you're training, they occur during the
rest period between workouts. This is when your muscles recover and
rebuild, gradually becoming bigger and stronger.

Schedule it - now that the elements are
determined, schedule your workout. If you set aside the days and
times you will perform your practice you are more likely to stick
to it. Remember the idea is to make it a habit, so schedule at
least 2 weeks of sessions and don't miss or change them and you are
on your way.